Discover real challenges and key lessons from building an AI-powered mobile app with Expo and React Native -- covering security, costs, and architecture.

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Building AI-powered features in an Expo React Native app requires careful architectural decisions beyond just calling an API. Key pitfalls include exposing API keys in the client bundle (env vars are not secret in mobile builds), skipping a backend layer, and failing to gate paid features server-side. The post walks through a voice-to-appointment app that uses Expo API Routes as a thin backend to protect secrets, Expo AppIntegrity (Google Play Integrity / Apple App Attest) to verify requests come from legitimate app instances, and RevenueCat for server-side subscription entitlement checks. The AI pipeline uses expo-speech-recognition for transcription, Groq for structured JSON extraction via a constrained system prompt, and Zod for response validation. Core principles: never trust the client, keep secrets on the server, enforce paid features server-side, and validate AI responses like any untrusted input.

Thinking About Adding AI to your Expo React Native App? Read This First How to Avoid Costly Pitfalls When Building AI Features in React Native